Rebecca Martin knows that music serves people in many ways. She knows that in the beginning, a bard - or "scop" in old Anglo-Saxon, which means "shaper" - went from village to village bringing the news of the day in song. That singer shaped the world for those awaiting news of war, politics, food and of loved ones.

Music was a public service then. Rebecca Martin believes it still is. "When I look out in the audience and see a person connecting with my words and music, I know the music is doing what it should," she says.

Martin shapes her unique world vision with her debut on MAXJAZZ, People Behave Like Ballads (August 31, 2004), named for a collection of poems by Robert P. Tristram Coffin, a fellow native of Maine. Written entirely by Martin, the sixteen songs are spare, honest, memorable and moving. She sings of love, loss, hope, wisdom, loneliness and searches - along with her listeners - for understanding of the human condition through her music.

Throughout the recording, her clear and strong voice appears to have no range limits. Much like Joni Mitchell in her early career, to whom Martin has been compared by the NEW YORK TIMES, Martin shadows her voice or allows it to soar or to gracefully settle inside the notes. Listening to her sing is like watching the tides roll in and out or a bird fly above. There is continual motion, seamless sound and an unbroken line of thought.

The emotion she evokes is also wide-ranging. When she sings, "Music is for anyone who's open to hear. There's nothing between us, but notes in the air," she means to involve the listener intimately. From her poetic, heartfelt lyrics, it is also evident that Martin is fearless in examining her own life challenges openly in this very personal recording. "The truth is what matters, but it's twisted and mired. These bones are yours alone," she confesses.

Her close collaboration with the musicians on People Behave Like Ballads undoubtedly allowed Martin to open up fully in word, on guitar and on vocals. Steve Cardenas, her longtime musical partner, and Ben Monder perform on electric guitar. Peter Rende is on piano, Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer. Frequent collaborators, Bill McHenry and Matt Penman, are on tenor saxophone and bass respectively. Darren Beckett keeps the rhythm on drums. Another likely factor contributing to her natural ease on this MAXJAZZ debut may be her return to country living. Originally from Maine, Martin lived in New York City for ten years before deciding she needed to return to more organic surroundings. She moved to upstate New York, where she lives now with her husband, bassist Larry Grenadier.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
In 1990 Martin left her childhood home of Rumford Point, Maine, to move to New York City in pursuit of her musical career. Early on she met and formed a band called Once Blue with musician and songwriter, Jesse Harris (GRAMMY-award-winning songwriter for Norah Jones). By chance, the new EMI president caught Once Blue in performance and signed them immediately. They toured for several years with artists Shawn Colvin, Emmylou Harris, Lilith Fair, Lisa Loeb and others before disbanding in 1998. (Note: EMI Japan will re-release the Once Blue CD this fall.)

At that point, Martin went solo and founded the Independence Project to help support and produce other working singer/songwriters. In 1998 she released her solo debut, Thoroughfare, which prompted Fresh Sounds Records of Spain to sign her. In 2002 she released Middlehope on Fresh Sounds. A collection of standards in the jazz vein, the CD was selected by THE NEW YORK TIMES for its annual Top Ten Best Jazz Albums of the Year list. Martin was one of the youngest artists on the list and was the only woman. That she was an artist who couldn't be pigeonholed became obvious to the critics who praised her work despite not knowing how to categorize her.

Middlehope captured the attention of Richard McDonnell, founder of MAXJAZZ, who arranged to see Martin at a New York City showcase. Expecting to hear standards, he was surprised to discover that Martin had written all of her material and decided to sign her as one of his first singer/songwriters on the label.

The result, People Behave Like Ballads, is a genre-bending collection that will come as no surprise to Martin's many fans. A modern-day "scop," or shaper, she has always cast aside labeling or anything that limits the expression and the reach of the music.

www.rebeccamartin.com
www.maxjazz.com